Different Paths, Same Goal
Parenting really makes you think. Sometimes, depending on the child, two completely different approaches can have an equally positive impact.
Child 1: Anytime he gets extra money from a birthday or another gift, he asks me to buy him Google stock.
Child 2: Anytime he gets extra money, he wants a new baseball bat, a new mitt, or something else related to baseball.
In 10 years, Child 1 will hopefully have a nice chunk of change to do something with. Along the way, he is also learning about the stock market, investing, and how money works.
In 10 years, Child 2 will hopefully still be playing baseball, competing at a high level, working as part of a team, and learning how to deal with failure and adversity.
Both are amazing. Both are preparing for the future. They just look completely different.
This is really a post about parenting, but since this is a business newsletter, I feel like I should probably tie it back somehow.
The same idea applies to clients.
Different clients, brands, and stakeholders often need completely different approaches. A founder-led brand may care about one set of metrics, while a company backed by private equity may need a completely different style of reporting. One client may need to invest heavily in brand awareness and top-of-funnel marketing. Another may need Meta ads tied directly to a promotion or retail launch.
The strategies can look very different, but the end goal is usually the same.
As parents, we want to prepare our kids for the future in as many ways as possible.
As marketers, we want to help brands sell more products.
Sometimes that means building awareness. Sometimes it means driving traffic. Sometimes it means supporting a retailer, strengthening the brand, or creating demand that will not show up immediately in a dashboard.
